Lilyville

Mother, Daughter, and Other Roles I've Played

By: Tovah Feldshuh

Narrated by: Tovah Feldshuh

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

This heartwarming and funny memoir from a beloved actress tells the story of a mother and daughter whose narrative reflects American cultural changes and the world's shifting expectations of women.

From Golda to Ginsburg, Yentl to Mama Rose, Tallulah to the Queen of Mean, Tovah Feldshuh has always played powerful women who aren't afraid to sit at the table with the big boys and rule their world. But offstage, Tovah struggled to fulfill the one role she never auditioned for: Lily Feldshuh's only daughter.

Growing up in Scarsdale, NY in the 1950s, Tovah - known then by her given name Terri Sue - lived a life of piano lessons, dance lessons, shopping trips, and white-gloved cultural trips into Manhattan. In awe of her mother's meticulous appearance and perfect manners, Tovah spent her childhood striving for Lily's approval, only to feel as though she always fell short. Lily's own dreams were beside the point; instead, she devoted herself to Tovah's father Sidney and her two children. Tovah watched Lily retreat into the roles of the perfect housewife and mother and swore to herself, I will never do this.

When Tovah shot to stardom with the Broadway hit Yentl, winning five awards for her performance, she still did not garner her mother's approval. But, it was her success in another sphere that finally gained Lily's attention. After falling in love with a Harvard-educated lawyer and having children, Tovah found it was easier to understand her mother and the sacrifices she had made during the era of the women's movement, the sexual revolution, and the subsequent mandate for women to "have it all".

Beloved as he had been by both women, Sidney's passing made room for the love that had failed to take root during his life. In her new independence, Lily became outspoken, witty, and profane. "Don't tell Daddy this," Lily whispered to Tovah, "but these are the best years of my life." She lived until 103.

In this insightful, compelling, often hilarious and always illuminating memoir, Tovah shares the highs and lows of a remarkable career that has spanned five decades, and shares the lessons that she has learned, often the hard way, about how to live a life in the spotlight, strive for excellence, and still get along with your mother. Through their evolving relationship we see how expectations for women changed, with a daughter performing her heart out to gain her mother's approval and a mother becoming liberated from her confining roles of wife and mother to become her full self.

A great gift for Mother's Day - or any day when women want a joyous and meaningful way to celebrate each other.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Tovah Feldshuh (P)2021 Hachette Books

Critic reviews

“A warm, heartfelt memoir for Broadway and Hollywood enthusiasts.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“[A] lively and engaging narrative.... Feldshuh has a lot to say and does so with aplomb...In a look-back that is always intense, often hilarious, and sometimes fraught.... Readers will feel lucky to encounter this delightful memoir.” (Booklist)

“A revealing look at family, expectations, and forgiveness, and what it means to perform for audiences of thousands when the voice of one person is all that truly matters.” (Town & Country)

Like a Tovah Feldshuh Performance- Fabulous!

The author’s voice shines through, as she is the reader. Only she can emote truthfully about her mother, father, children, and many connections and collaborators. She shares the lessons she learned from her doting father as well as her loving if sometimes judgmental mother, and the devotion that overcame it.
A tour de force, like any of her turns on stage or screen.

Amazing!

Gevalt!! What a book! I laughed out loud, had tears in my eyes and fell in love with all the characters. Highly recommended!!!

Brava!

Just like her performances on stage, this book and her performance of it on tape, was an exceptional experience for the listener/audience! I have long been a fan of Tovah Feldshuh and was eagerly anticipating the publication of this book-the waiting was more than worth it! Her story was intimate, entertaining, loving and heartbreaking, all in even measure. I felt like I was listening to both an idol and a close friend at the same time. Ms. Feldshuh shared her experiences and the people in her life so openly and honestly that I felt like I was an intimate member of her group. Highly recommend!

Very entertaining!

I loved going on the journey with Tovah Feldshuh!! This was a joy to read, and I discovered so much about her, her family and the Jewish community.

Magnetic, moving story

I've had the opportunity to enjoy Tovah Feldshuh on stage a few times and occasionally on film or TV. She always gives a great performance, but this one is the performance of a lifetime about several lifetimes and a rich array of complex, real people. I could not turn it off and continued listening for hours after my allotted listening time was done. Like all good stories, this one makes you laugh and cry and sometimes both at once. Unusually, this one evokes those real emotional responses every few pages - or minutes, since this is an audio book.

Oy!! So, I enjoyed it....

I share so many similar memories of growing up with a Jewish mother!! Same age, same region, similar aspirations, etc. Thanks for keeping me totally enthralled for my whole drive from FL to VA. Loved the book, loved Lily, love Tovah !

What a Meshugana!

I loved this book and the narration hit it out of the ballpark! I love really ethnic Greek, Italian or Jewish families. There is so much out loud emotion. I could picture Lilly saying and doing everything as Tovah spoke it. Tovah's career itself is such an accomplishment but to see how far the Kaplan-Feldshuh families came in 3 generations was a testament to grit, determination and lots of love. I was ferklempt. As you can tell, I've also added to my knowledge of Yiddish. I hated to see it end and hearing it was so much more enjoyable than reading. .

Well worth the read!!

An enjoyable biography with Yiddish and Jewish culture !! Very interesting life Tovah! If you lik broadway you live this book

Too long

I loved Tovah's narration but I found the book in general too long, Nothing much happens and I found out more about Tovah Feldshuh than I ever cared to know. She has a childhood, she goes to college, she acts, she gets married, has some children, more acting parts, complains about her mother, parents die in their advanced years. No highs, no lows just a life with some acting thrown in. My life is more interesting than hers!

Endless bragging about a privileged life.

Memoirs are supposed to be about the subject. I get that. But this is just a list of accomplishments. This woman has an ego as big as the world. The voices she uses for Children are especially cringe inducing.